Tuesday, 8 July 2014

GAZA CITY (AFP) -- Israeli warplanes pounded Gaza with more than 50 strikes early Tuesday after Gaza militants fired scores of rockets over the border, dragging the two sides towards a major conflict.

It was the most serious flare-up in and around the territory since November 2012 and came as Israel struggled to contain a wave of violence in Palestinian towns over the grisly murder of a Palestinian teenager by Jewish extremists.

In Gaza, medics said seven children and two women were among 17 people wounded. Two were in serious condition, an emergency services spokesman said.

The Israeli military confirmed it had embarked upon an air campaign dubbed "Operation Protective Edge," which it said was aimed at reducing rocket fire on southern Israel.

"Around 50 targets were hit, among them four houses belonging to militants, rocket launching sites and other terrorist infrastructure," a spokesman said. more